(Washington, DC -
April 17, 2003) In a report released today, schools from across the country
document a growing trend to adopt safer practices that dramatically reduce
pesticides in the schools, providing children with a healthier learning
environment, according to the authors. With descriptions of 27 school
districts of all sizes from 19 states, the report, Safer Schools: Achieving
a Healthy Learning Environment Through Integrated Pest Management,
describes a growing commitment to adopt practices that respond to mounting
evidence that pesticides pose a public health hazard while non-toxic,
economically feasible pest management options are available. Spearheaded
by the School Pesticide Reform Coalition and Beyond Pesticides and written
by a broad group of individuals representing advocacy groups, state agencies,
pest control companies, and school staff, the groups say the report will
help encourage schools, states, and the federal government to put in place
safer pest management programs for schools and communities nationwide.

Safer Schools
is the first report of its kind to document the actual strategies schools
use to decrease pesticide use while implementing more effective pest management
strategies. The case studies highlighted represent a range of program
sizes from the three largest school districts in the continental U.S.
(New York City Public Schools, Los Angeles Unified School District, and
Chicago Public Schools), to individual schools like Lewis Cass Technical
High School in Detroit, Michigan.

Many people assume
that schools are environmentally safe places for children to learn. It
often takes a pesticide poisoning, repeated illnesses or a strong advocate
to alert a school district to the acute and chronic adverse health effects
of pesticides and the viability of safer pest management strategies. Schools
that have chosen to adopt such strategies, such as an Integrated Pest
Management (IPM) program, use alternatives to the prevailing chemical-intensive
practices because of the health risk such practices pose to children and
other school users.

"Understanding
how these programs take shape and the approaches used by schools and districts,
as well as hurdles they had to overcome, is key to the broader adoption
of successful programs across the nation," according to Kagan Owens,
program director for Beyond Pesticides, a Washington-based information
and advocacy group. There are many success stories around the country
that, like the 27 case studies included in Safer Schools, show
that IPM significantly reduces and, in some cases, eliminates the amount
of pesticides used; is cost effective; and, yields better pest control
results.

IPM is an approach
that has been implemented in various communities, schools, and government
facilities for decades. Although there are no federal laws regarding school
pesticide use and pest management, there is pending federal legislation,
the School Environment Protection Act (SEPA), which has been introduced
in Congress and adopted by the U.S. Senate twice. There are also 13 state
laws and 320 local policies, according to Beyond Pesticides' report, Are
School Making the Grade, National PTA and American Public Health Association
resolutions, and numerous government and non-governmental organization
resources that focus on the adoption of school IPM programs, all of which
can be found at www.beyondpesticides.org/schools.

"This report
further exemplifies the fact that school districts nationwide should be
required to adopt an IPM policy and program in order to make sure that
all students and school staff are protected from the unnecessary use of
hazardous chemicals," said Ms. Owens, a co-author of Safer Schools
who also coordinates the School Pesticide Reform Coalition, a network
of local groups across the country. "Where policies already exist,
parents and school staff need to ensure their implementation," Ms.
Owens said.

The vulnerability of infants and children to the harmful effects of pesticides
has attracted national attention over the last decade. EPA and the National
Academy of Sciences, among others, have voiced concerns about the danger
that pesticides pose to children. Children face higher risks than adults
from pesticide exposure due to their small size, tendency to place their
hands close to their face, engaging in activities on or near the ground,
greater intake of air and food relative to body weight, developing organ
systems, and other unique characteristics.

Hard copies of the
report are available for $5.00 each by contacting Beyond Pesticides at
202-543-5450 or [email protected].